A self-described gambler, Howard Spira, not only...

A self-described gambler, Howard Spira, not only threatened New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner but promised to go public with private details about club personnel, including former manager Lou Piniella, according to a high-placed source in the Yankees organization.

Piniella, who now manages the Cincinnati Reds, said Spira’s information apparently concerned Piniella’s presence at Florida dog and horse tracks. “I’ve talked to Steinbrenner, and he said there’s nothing to even worry about,” Piniella said Thursday. “I don’t even know (Spira). I don’t know why he’d be talking about me.”